Improvement in gasometers



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aient iiiiii THOMAS F. ROWLND, OF GREEN POINT, NEW YORK.

Letters Patent No. 100,559, .dated March 8, 18'50.

IMPROVEMENT IN GASOMETER'S.

The Schedule-referred to in these Letters Patent and making p art of the same.

To aiglywhom ttm-ay eoncerni Be it, known that I, T. F. ROWLAND, of Green Point, Brooklyn, in the county of Kings, and State,

All gas-holders require to be counterweighted tot-hat v extent which will allow gas oi' a given pressure to Yraise themandiill them to their capacity, and when raised-` to return or discharge the gas through the distributing-pipes at a certain pressure.

The pressure is variable within narrow limits, and

.is generally represented by inches and decimal parts of inches of water. N ow supposing agas-holder to be fed by the gas of a street-main .at a pressure of 1.0

i, inch of water,and that it is required to be delivered at a pressure of 3.0 inches ofwater for any special use. It is necessaryto change the conditions under which the mass of material in the gas-holder is ,bal-4 auce'.v It is necessary to attach weights sufficient to nearly balance the gas-holder while itis iilling, and then to remove a portion or the whole of the counterbalancing-weights after it is lled,'so asto obtain the requisite pressure. This involves much labor in handling and raising the weights'.

Common or streetgas is requisite in many cases to be mixed with other gas. This is done in many in-` stances for special purposes, but particularly with oxygen, by recent processes, for mechanical and illuminating purposes.' Now, to effect this mixing with facility, and so as to be reliable in its proportions, it 'is necessary to know very exactly' the pressure under which the gas is to be'received in the mixing ap'- parat-us; andas the pressure inthe street-mains varies according tothe diiferent conditions imposed thereon at thegas-works at dilierent hours, and according to .the variations the consumption of the" gas, either `in the entire city or in. connection with the particular mainswit-h which our apparatus is connected, the value of a reservoir in thecellar, or in some other convenient position in which all the gasto be used for a given period may be received at any pressure, and then discharged at an "exactly @determined pressure, will be readily appreciated. V 'My invention provides for operating such a gasholder, or a gas-holder'connected with private works, with very little labor.

It is evident that a I gas-holder weighing five hundred pounds, balanced by counter-weights of five hun- .dred .pounds is 'in equilibrium; and, friction aside,4 will eitherV rise or fall by the 'force of a single pound in either direction. In practice it is easy to allow for friction. Myapparatus can receive the gas at a high pressure, and discharge at a low, or can receive, as will ,more frequently be the case, at a low, and discharge at a high. pressure; or it can'receive the gas at a variable or indeterminate, and discharge it always at a positively determined and reliabledegree of' pressure. v

I use water as the means for counter-weighting. There is usually a street aqueductin any village where gas is employed, hut in case there is not I 4can pump" or otherwise raise th'e water in a suitable reservoir in silcient quant'res to vary the pressure on my gas'-` holder to therequired extent. The water moves itself with the simple turning on or oi' of cocks.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification, andrepresent the form in which I prefer to carry out the invention when ou a very small scale. The proportions may be modified with advantage when the scale of vthe apparatus is greatly increased.

Figure 1 is a vertical section through the center of -the apparatus.

Figure 2 isaplan view. j Similar letters of reierenceindicate lk'e parts in .both the gures.

A is a tank or vessel filled with water, and

B is the gas-holder, which is adapted to rise and sink therein as the gas is received and discharged.-

Three cords, C, are provided, leading up from equi` distant pointsv on the upper edge of the gas-holder B,

and passing over pulleys D, are attached` ,by suitable connections to one common weight, E. ,Y The pulleys are supported, and the weight may be guided if necessary, by a suitable skeleton or framework, A.

It will be understood that in case my gas-holder is of considerable size,A and is in an exposed -situation out of doors, all the ordinary appliances may be provided for internal .bracing for guiding or guarding against the disturbing eii'ects of gales of wind, and the like; and that any of the means now in use may -be provided for caging or lotherwise protecting the weights,

pulleys, &c., and also that the tank A' may beset down iu the ground. y

The top ofthe gas-holder B is provided with the rim B', extending up around its entire periphery. This is water-tight, 4and is adaptedto retain a considerable layer or" stratum of Water on the top of the gas-holder to add its gravity to that of the gas-holder B when required. This water is represented by W in iig. 1.

1 have represented a pipe, M, rising by the side of one of the posts of the framing A, and bending inward at its upper end at such height as to be always above the upper edge ot' the rim B. The end or discharging-nozzle of this pipe M points directly downward, so that the stream will descend vertically, whatever ma-y be its force. In case it is an exposed situation out of doors, it may be 'pecessary to provide a telescopic pipe, ora suitable exible pipe, to protect the descending stream from the force of the wind, but in-doors,y such aprovision can be safely dispensed with.

An ordinary hose will in most cases serve as an eicient means for raising the water and discharging it into the space within the rim B at the top of the gas-holder B.

It will be of course understood that this waterconnection has a stop-cock or valve which allows it to be controlled at will.

N is a cock for allowing the water to be discharged from the top of the gas-holder at will.

Now it will be readily understood that to receive the gas at a lower pressure in the street-mains, or in au independent or domestic apparat-us which generates the gas at a low tension, itis simply necessary to open the cock N and discharge the whole yor 'a sutiicieut quantity of the waterVV, and then to close the cock N.

When the gasomcter is suiciently filled, water is again supplied through the pipe M to the top ofv the gasomet-er, and the water there distributed byincreasing the gravity, again restores the apparatus to the condition required for discharging the gas at an increased aud absolutely uniform pressure until the whole is consumed.

1n case the pressure is to he made less, the operation is reversed. j

By introducing two or more of these gas-holders to receive and discharge alternately, the gas may be consumed at a uniform pressure in a large manufactory or theatre during anylong period, where the pressure in the street may fluctuate, and for certain theatrical effects the pressure may be increased or diminished within very wide limits, and the extent of the variation maybe determined with absolute certainty beforehand by simply gauging and marking the depth of water required.

Wherethe gasometer is liable to disturbance, it may be well to provide cross-plates or checks on the upper surfaces to prevent the water W from swashing or surging to one side or the other, but I have not l'ound suoli provisions necessary in my experiments.

Where a single weight, E, can be made available to operate all the cords C, the cords'may be attached directly to a single hook or point upon the weight, and provided with screw-connections, or equivalent delicate adjustments, which will allow the' length of riations in their stretch, or any settlement or change of position of 'the pulleys.

By this and other obvious means the tendency of the gasometer B to tilt in one direction or the other, or rather the tendency of the mobile weight on the top thereof to aggravate such tilting by flowing to the low er sidc,may be etfectually counter-acted.

I can provide the top otl the counter-weight E with a similar rim, and with suitable provisions, M N, for receiving and discharging water or I can make the entire counter-weight E a capacious hollow vessel, of little weight in itself, but adapted to contain a suliicientquantity of water for the maximum counterweighting purposes. I prefer, however, the distribution of the water on the top of the gasholder, as represented in the ligure.

Many obvious modifications may be iliade in this respect; thus, for example, aseries of reservoir-s may be made around the sides of the gas-holder, either on the interior or exterior, or a single reservoir may h e made in the center of the top of the gas-holder.-

I claim- The means, substantially as herein described, for controlling the pressure of gas discharged from a gasholdcr by supplying and discharging water, as herein specied.

in presence ot' two subscribing witnesses.

THOS. F. ROWLAND.

Witnesses WARREN E. HILL, WM. C. DEY.

each to be adjusted with nicety to compensate for va- In testimony whereof', I have hereunto set my nume 

